Cities for People on a Budget

Admission to top attractions, such as the city zoo and science center, is free. City garden, a $30-million, mixed-use sculpture park in downtown St. Louis, promises great gardening, art and picnics year-round. And if you do feel the need to spend some hard-earned cash—at a Cardinal game or in the downtown shopping district, perhaps—your money will go further here. While St. Louis residents earn roughly the same amount as average Americans, their living costs fall nearly 9 percent below the norm.